Histopathology of transgender breast specimens : expect the unexpected!

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Routine histopathological examination after female-to-male gender-confirming mastectomy

Background: The number of transmen seeking gender-confirming surgery has risen steadily throughout the last decade. Pathologists are increasingly confronted with transmale mastectomy specimens. It is not clear whether routine histopathological examination is useful. This study explored the possible benefit of routine investigation through detailed description of lesions encountered in mastectomy specimens after female-to-male gender-confirming surgery. Methods: Breast tissue from a cohort of transmen was reviewed. The presence of benign and malignant breast lesions was recorded. The number of terminal duct-lobule units (TDLUs) per ten low-power fields (LPFs) was quantified. Information on hormone therapy and morphometry was retrieved for selected patients. Results: The cohort included 344 subjects with a mean age of 25.8 (range 16-61) years at the time of surgery; the age at surgery decreased significantly over time. Older individuals presented with a significantly higher number of breast lesions. The number of TDLUs per LPF was lower in heavier breasts, but did not correlate with age. Breast lesions, either benign or malignant, were present in 166 individuals (48.3 per cent). Invasive breast cancer was found in two (0.6 per cent); one tumour was an unexpected finding. The number of breast lesions encountered on histopathological examination increased significantly when more tissue blocks were taken. Conclusion: The discovery of an unexpected breast cancer in a 31-year-old transman emphasizes the importance of thorough routine histopathological examination of mastectomy specimens. The number of tissue blocks taken should be based on age and breast weight

A case report and a literature review of primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenoma : the importance of imaging in diagnosis and management

Primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenoma (PRMC) is an extremely rare tumor: its histogenesis and its biological behavior remain speculative. Since most retroperitoneal tumors are malignant, a preoperative diagnosis of benignity is essential and it can be reached through imaging examinations, allowing a conservative management approach. We describe the case of a 52-year-old woman with abdominal pain and a palpable mass. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a retroperitoneal cystic mass, which was resected successfully through laparoscopy and diagnosed as PRMC. Although there are no pathognomonic, clinical or radiological findings for PRMC, it should be included in the list of differential diagnoses and its imaging criteria of benignity should always be sought, with the aim to exclude malignant tumors

Dichotomous histopathological assessment of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast results in substantial interobserver concordance

AIMS: Robust prognostic markers for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast require high reproducibility and thus low interobserver variability. The aim of this study was to compare interobserver variability among 13 pathologists, in order to enable the identification of robust histopathological characteristics. METHODS AND RESULTS: One representative haematoxylin and eosin-stained slide was selected for 153 DCIS cases. All pathologists independently assessed nuclear grade, intraductal calcifications, necrosis, solid growth, stromal changes, stromal inflammation, and apocrine differentiation. All characteristics were assessed categorically. Krippendorff's alpha was calculated to assess overall interobserver concordance. Cohen's kappa was calculated for every observer duo to further explore interobserver variability. The highest concordance was observed for necrosis, calcifications, and stromal inflammation. Assessment of solid growth, nuclear grade and stromal changes resulted in lower concordance. Poor concordance was observed for apocrine differentiation. Kappa values for each observer duo identified the 'ideal' cut-off for dichotomisation of multicategory variables. For instance, concordance was higher for 'non-high versus high' nuclear grade than for 'low versus non-low' nuclear grade. 'Absent/mild' versus 'moderate/extensive' stromal inflammation resulted in substantially higher concordance than other dichotomous cut-offs. CONCLUSIONS: Dichotomous assessment of the histopathological features of DCIS resulted in moderate to substantial agreement among pathologists. Future studies on prognostic markers in DCIS should take into account this degree of interobserver variability to define cut-offs for categorically assessed histopathological features, as reproducibility is paramount for robust prognostic markers in daily clinical practice. A new prognostic index for DCIS might be considered, based on two-tier grading of histopathological features. Future research should explore the prognostic potential of such two-tier assessment.status: publishe